The Spell Of Temptation
by Iris Of The Open Skies
Summary: What's the difference between love and infatuation? Infatuation makes you attracted to such an extent that it makes you think you're in love, but you're not. If it's love, then even after all those fights and misunderstandings, they'd always find each other. No matter what. Nodoka thought she loved Shikamaru, but was it love, or just a silly infatuation? ShikamaruxOC [Modern Day]
1. Hello Stranger, My Oldest Neighbor

The ringing of the alarm wakes her up. Everyone hate waking up to alarms, don't they? Especially if it's a Monday morning. And especially when there's school you have to go to. Nodoka was never a morning person, she would be, if morning came around noon. 'And even then, I'd hate school all the same.' She thought to herself as she dragged her butt to the bathroom, to begin her day.

Nodoka stared at herself in the mirror. Her high school uniform didn't look good on her, but she didn't really care. She noticed she had put on a few pounds in the past few months of staying at home and eating and watching television. But, a round belly? 'Gotta get rid of that.' She thought and horded downstairs to greet her mother with a kiss, like she usually does, every morning she wakes up. "Good morning, sweety. Did you sleep well?" Her mother asked her, and Nodoka nodded. "Till the alarm went off, I slept like a dead person." She always hated the saying 'Slept like a baby'. She had a baby cousin, and she discovered, babies don't sleep at all. They cry and wail all night, so the idiom was wrong. Yes, she was a grammar Nazi.

"Uniform looks good on you dear, but I gotta say, you've gotten a little plump. I've always been telling you to go out and have fun, but no, television and that darn computer are the only sources for your entertainment. Guys don't like girls with a little weight you know. They like em' skinny."

Nodoka rolled her eyes, and bit on the toast and began chewing. She didn't mind being a little plump, she wasn't fat, but, she wasn't thin either. Nodoka was too lazy to actually go out and lose weight. 'Too much hard work.' She'd work hard, but it would be for something like Linkin Park concert tickets or something. Because, she was a fan. A die hard Linkin Park fan.

"I'm off Mom, see you later!"

Nodoka walked out, and checked her watch, and she waited for exactly two minutes. She knew he'd show up. Her best friend, Chouji.

Chouji was someone she met in fourth grade, when they were selected as dance partners for the annual Talent's day. Ever since then, Chouji and Nodoka have been inseparable. It wasn't until recently she knew he was a neighbor. Only a year ago, and ever since, the two walked to school together. Chouji wasn't in Nodoka's classes most of the time, but they always kept in touch. Unlike most guys, he wasn't clingy and he was much more fun. She had her best friends back at school, but Chouji stayed on top of all that, even if they never spoke much in school.

Nibbling. She heard crunching. Chips being grinded inside someone's mouth. Nodoka smirked and turned around to see Chouji, and someone else, who made her stomach flip.

Shikamaru Nara.

She remembered seeing him just once in her locality before. A very long time ago. It was five years in fact. He was with his mother, and she was with hers. They were just fourth graders, and they were at an ice cream parlor which opened right at that time, and being just nine years old, Nodoka couldn't resist ice creams, and she persuaded her mother to but her some. And there she saw him. Eating chocolate ice cream, licking it, slowly. Nodoka never liked chocolate ice creams, but when the vendor asked, she said, "Chocolate." She checked hard, whether the boy had nuts in them and when she noticed enough she said, "No nuts."

She observed him, and licked the ice cream whenever he licked his. And they finished it right at the same time. Nodoka noticed his tiny pony tail, and smiled to herself, hoping it wouldn't be the last time she saw him.

She then noticed him once in school. She never shared any of his classes, but they were the same age.

And then, five years later, he's walking there, with her best friend, laughing and talking like nothing ever happened.

Oh right, nothing did happen. "Hey Chouji." Nodoka said, and smiled at him. "Nodoka!" He munched on another chip and Nodoka giggled. "This is Shikamaru. This is Nodoka, I've told you about her, right?" Chouji nudged his chest and Shikamaru sighed. 'He's told him about me? Oh lord, what did he tell him? Something good? And why in the blue whales is he nudging his chest? Does that mean anything?' Nodoka snapped out of her thoughts and smiled. "Hey." She said, and walked along with them.

"So, when did you shift here?" She asked and Shikamaru looked at her as if something were wrong with her. 'Okay, was that a wrong question?' She thought to herself and Chouji intervened.

"He's lived here his whole life, he lives two blocks away from you Nodoka."

'Okay! Whoa! I did not see that coming! Shikamaru Nara was my neighbor all my life and I didn't notice?' Nodoka wanted to bang her head to a wall.

Shikamaru Nara, wasn't exactly Mr. Popular. Sasuke was there for that, and Nodoka couldn't care less about that cockatoo headed owl. Shikamaru was friends with Naruto, the hyper clown, who was incredibly good at soccer and was also Sasuke's best friend. They were popular. Shikamaru was friends with the popular dudes, so that made him popular too right? And not only that, he was a math whiz. Supremely good at math. They were fourteen, and Nodoka knew what she felt toward him.

Undying attraction.

Ever since she saw him at that ice cream parlor five years ago, the attraction was born in her, and lived there, and seeing him with Chouji and realizing they were neighbours, made it grow.

"I've seen you around a couple of times, but hey, I'm shocked you live here too. I didn't know it until Chouji told me. He did tell me you never go out, so there's the answer." Shikamaru spoke.

'I should listen to mom more often.' Nodoka made a mental note to herself. She turned to Shikamaru and said, "I'm pretty unobservant so, well, good to know you're a neighbor." She smiled at him.

"Yeah."

Nodoka felt her world crash. 'Yeah? What kind of lame answer is yeah? Why, isn't he the attitude rich dude?' Nodoka pouted and turned away, and much to her dismay, school was right there.

"I have history. Great. See ya later Cho. Shikamaru." She said, and walked off, leaving the two boys behind. Chouji wanted to yell at her and ask her to stop but, she walked off pretty quick. "So, that's Nodoka. She's a handful. You should listen to her go on and on about Linkin Park. She loves that band." Chouji said, stuffing the packet of chips in his bag. Shikamaru stared at the direction the girl ran off to and sighed.

"Something wrong, dude?"

"No, it's just…I have history too." And walked off in the same direction as the girl.

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**A/N: This is a modern Shikamaru story, and the events of this story are real. My best friend, (who's name I shall not say) is Nodoka. Read and review! ^.^**


	2. You Interest Me, Girl

Nodoka sighed as she sat on her desk, placing the school bag between the legs of her chair. 'Shikamaru Nara. My neighbor. Who would've thought?' Nodoka smiled to herself, and for the first time in ages, she was early to class. She knew her best girlfriend, Hinata, didn't have history with her now, so she would only get to see her at third period, which was Literature. Nodoka was sure it was too early for a crush and everything, so she also knew that what she felt for the Nara boy was nothing far from admiration. She looked up to see the teacher walk in, Mr. Umino, who was a kind man, and everyone around her referred to him as 'Iruka-sensei'.

Nodoka grumbled as he entered the class, knowing he always had something against her. She found history boring, which it was, and Iruka-sensei always picked on her, and it was her he always found passing notes, or talking in class. He was a kind man, but that was outside class.

"Good morning class." He said, placing the books on the table and Nodoka faked a smile at him.

"Excuse me sir."

Nodoka turned to see who it was and she unknowingly grabbed the edge of her desk and took a deep breath. It was him. 'Now don't tell me we always shared class, this is a new academic year, so, 9th grade changes things, and whoa, calm down girl.' Nodoka tore her gaze off the boy and looked down on her desk, and began to fiddle with the pen.

"Ah, Mr. Nara, so glad you could join us, take your seat." Iruka-sensei said, and Shikamaru obeyed. As he sat down, he turned to look at Nodoka, a girl his best friend always spoke about. There wasn't anything special about her, except when Chouji told him she loved to eat. He knew Ino and Sakura, the two popular chics in school, who loved dieting for maintaining a figure, but Nodoka seemed like she didn't care about looks, and for the first time, Shikamaru liked that quality about a girl. Personally, he liked girls with a little flesh, made them seem much more alive and healthy.

He saw that she was doodling something on a piece of paper, and he turned away before someone caught him staring at her. Iruka-sensei seemingly had asked everyone how their spring breaks were, and not many replied back as usual. Shikamaru wasn't a fan of History, he actually enjoyed math and chemistry more.

"Nodoka, tell us about your vacation."

Shikamaru sharpened his hearing for this one. He seemed more curious about her which did shock the boy at first. He turned his gaze toward her much more confidently since, half the class was looking at the girl now.

"Uh, I didn't go out much. No, I didn't go out at all. I pretty much stayed at home watching television shows and ruining my vision." She said, and the class laughed lightly.

"I knew that much about you, thank you for sharing the experience." Iruka-sensei said, smiling lightly.

"Pleasure."

This was the first time he ever shared a class with the girl, and he wondered how her relationship with the teachers was. Was she a nerd? Was she loved by the teachers or hated by them? Shikamaru grunted as he realized how curious he was about the girl, it wasn't like him, since he always thought women were troublesome.

"Since you all are in grade 9, I won't waste my time on you growing children, so I'll start teaching immediately. Nodoka, now, would you be a dear and tell us what you know about Napoleon Bonaparte?" Iruka-sensei picked the girl and Nodoka muttered, "I knew he'd pick me."

"He's a brave guy, who died."

The class laughed, and Iruka-sensei shook his head. "He was a French leader. Back in…" And the class rolled on. Shikamaru was stunned he was awake by the end of it. He was glad that the next period he shared with Chouji, and it was math. He got up and left the room to meet up with his friend.

Nodoka had Physics and she ran to the classroom, knowing she'll be late. She ran past Shikamaru and she could swear that he was looking at her as she passed. She brushed the thought away and entered the classroom.

During math, Shikamaru sighed after solving the problems Asuma-sensei had given them. Shikamaru was fast, and after he finished, he'd help Chouji with his work.

"So, how was sharing class with Nodoka?"

Nodoka. She seemed loud in class and the teachers didn't exactly like her much. "She's…" Shikamaru was searching for the right word when Chouji interrupted. "Loud, isn't she?"

Shikamaru nodded. He took a deep breath and sighed. "How did you meet her?" He asked Chouji and Chouji smiled as he recalled. "We were dance partners in fourth grade. For the annual Talent's day. She was loud back then, and she's loud now too. But I gotta say Shikamaru, she loves eating. She introduced me to so many varieties of food!"

Shikamaru smiled. "That's new, I mean, for a girl to like food, and not worry about getting fat." He said, not knowing what else to say.

Chouji nodded. "Not only that, but she steals chips from my bag too." Shikamaru laughed.

Nodoka walked around in circles, trying to find the stuttering Hyuga girl when she saw her by her locker. "Hinata!" Nodoka yelled and Hinata waved. "Hello Nodoka."

"Always formal, eh?"

Hinata giggled and the girls walked to Literature class. "You won't believe who was my neighbor all my life and still is." Hinata didn't need to guess. She knew if when Nodoka asked her to guess something, and if Hinata stayed quiet for a few seconds, Nodoka will tell the answer herself.

"Shikamaru Nara!" Hinata was surprised. "I've never seen him around before." Nodoka shook her head and said, "Surprisingly neither have I. Weird, I didn't know about it till Chouji told me." Hinata nodded and stepped into class. During lunch, Nodoka and Hinata sat with Kiba and Shino, the two lab partners. Shino was always quiet, and Kiba, was his polar opposite. "So I heard that you and Shikamaru are neighbours. Cool eh?" Kiba winked.

If there was a problem with Kiba, it'd be this. He tries to hook people up, but fails miserably. He tried hooking Hinata and Naruto, her lifelong crush, but Naruto somehow got the idea that Hinata was off limits, and began hitting on Sakura after that. Nodoka only wondered how Hinata forgave the dog boy so easily. "Stop it Kiba, I do not like him." Nodoka said, but shockingly her heart disagreed. She saw Shikamaru and Chouji enter the cafeteria, and she waved at Chouji, and lo and behold, Shikamaru saw her right at that time, so being the friendly girl she was, she waved at him too.

Shikamaru smiled and nodded in acknowledgement.

Nodoka's heart leapt. 'He smiled at me. Wow.'

"I saw that Nodoka, and boy, you can't hide it now." Kiba teased and Nodoka slapped him on top of his head and said, "Sit, boy."

Occasionally she looked up to see him, and sometimes she would meet his gaze. And when that happened, Nodoka, the queen actress, played natural and smiled. She didn't want Shikamaru to think she was some sort of creepy stalker girl who stared at him all day long. She knew nothing about him other than his name, and that he was good at math, and that they shared History class together and that he was best friends with Chouji.

'And the fact that he's my lifelong neighbor and I didn't know about it till today.' Nodoka thought as she got up to leave. She turned to wave at Chouji, but he wasn't looking at her. She tried signaling him, but he didn't see, until Shikamaru saw her and smiled. She motioned him to call Chouji and he did. She waved them both 'goodbye' and walked out of the cafeteria.

After school, Nodoka waited by the gate as usual for Chouji to come. She then saw him, nibbling on another chips packet, and she attacked him and took a chip from inside it. She chewed it and her gaze met Shikamaru who was looking at the whole episode. "What?"

He shook his head and said, "He never lets anyone do that."

Oh, Nodoka knew that. But she was different. She could always steal from Chouji and he wouldn't say anything. She guessed it was because they were that close. "Yeah, well, I'm different. Right Cho?" Chouji pouted and glared at the girl and Nodoka laughed. Shikamaru cocked his eyebrow at her and smiled to himself.

'Girl isn't afraid of gaining weight. Nice.' He stared at Nodoka as she sweet talked Chouji for stealing a chip. 'And she's been my neighbor for so long, and I never noticed. I should've gone out more often.' He smiled to himself and walked alongside them, as the three of them headed home.

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**A/N: How is it so far? Please review if you want me to continue. I would love to tell you all what happened to my best friend through this story. :)**


	3. I'm Comfortable Around You

Nodoka never expected in a million years that she would be walking home with Shikamaru. Chouji was there, but it was still too weird. He was the boy she was so fascinated with in Fourth grade, and even if it were a one-time experience, she thought of him sometimes even after that. It's unique how one person can affect your life so much even if they weren't a part of it, or even if you've just seen them only once. Shikamaru was someone Nodoka knew nothing about, his likes dislikes, nothing. But there was this feeling inside of her that wanted her to get to know him. A feeling that made her think of him once or twice during those five years of not meeting him again.

"Chouji, you know what I've got recently just a day ago and haven't begun to play yet?" Nodoka grinned and winked at her best friend, earning Shikamaru's attention in the process.

Chouji, who was munching on snacks asked her what it was with his mouth full. Nodoka snaked her arms around the boy's neck and whispered it. Shikamaru couldn't help but feel left out, but he wasn't really curious about it, until he saw Chouji spit out the chips from his mouth.

"You what? It-It hasn't even come out yet!"

Chouji was the calm individual at times, and now wasn't one of those times. Nodoka laughed and turned to Shikamaru and said, "I've got this game, got Assassin's Creed, and Chouji flipped." She laughed and Shikamaru didn't know what made her so worked up about a game. She must be one of those game-addicts and Shikamaru wasn't anything near that. He was lazy, and he loved sleeping. But, he had to admit, Nodoka was entertaining. How he hadn't met her in his street all those years astounds him, and he suddenly stopped thinking. Shikamaru hated thinking too much, and this wasn't like him. He hated women.

"Here's my stop." Shikamaru said, and walked toward his house, waving to Nodoka and Chouji. Nodoka smiled and waved at him and Shikamaru's eyes widened a little. She looked…cute?

"See ya tomorrow!" She said, and the two walked away.

"What a drag…" He thought and walked inside his house.

Nodoka walked inside and bade Chouji goodbye for the day. She walked up to her room, and fell flat on the bed, and buried her face on the pillow. 'Shikamaru…Nara…' She thought to herself and rolled over. She dialed Hinata's number and waited for the girl to pick up. "Hina?" Nodoka said, and the shy girl greeted her back. "Still thinking of Shikamaru?" Nodoka rolled her eyes and said, "Hey, I was just shocked okay? It isn't natural. I mean, I haven't seen him around once!" Nodoka omitted the incident that took place five years ago.

"Maybe this is fate."

"Yeah, right!" Nodoka laughed and heard the door knob turn. Her mother must've gotten home. "I'll call you later, mum's home. See ya!" She hung up and ran downstairs to her mother and kissed her cheek. "You seem happy." Her mother noted and Nodoka stopped moving. "Any specific reason?" Her mother asked and Nodoka stood there thinking. "Not really." She said and suddenly thought about the Nara boy. Could he be the reason she was happy? 'No, I mean, I don't even know the guy. Why should I be happy with just knowing the fact that he's my neighbor?' Nodoka walked to her room again and lay on her bed.

The next day, Chouji showed up with Shikamaru once again and Nodoka smiled slightly. "Ooh, someone looks sad today." Chouji remarked and Nodoka punched him playfully on his shoulder. "Couldn't sleep, is all." She said and Shikamaru looked away all of a sudden.

'Funny, I couldn't either.'

If Shikamaru was alone he would've slapped himself. 'Get a hold of yourself, you dimwit! You barely know this girl!' He thought to himself and frowned.

"Someone's angry in the morning." Nodoka said, smirking at his face.

"Yeah, well, I couldn't sleep." Shikamaru regretted saying that out loud. Nodoka brushed it off, and walked as if nothing happened. Shikamaru sighed, and walked with them.

In school, Nodoka realized she shared only History class with Shikamaru. Whenever they saw each other, they waved and exchanged greetings. Shikamaru looked forward in seeing her every day, and walking with her seemed more fun than he imagined. Yes, the first few days were awkward, but now, when they got to know each other better, he liked having her around.

He liked having her around so much, that when he heard her name, he involuntarily smiled.

Nodoka found Shikamaru hilarious at times. He was just so lazy, his casual replies made her giggle. Nodoka never giggled, and this was saying something. History class was more fun these days and dare she say it, she liked them better. Her walks home and her walks to school with Chouji and Shikamaru were probably the best part of her day. She would wake up and think of what to talk about to Shikamaru when they walked and she had an inner mission with herself to make him comfortable around her. She wanted him to like talking to her, since, she already liked talking to him. He was kind, smart, funny and Nodoka heard he was a topper in math and chemistry.

"How can someone learn chemistry or math? Two of my worst subjects." Nodoka sunk to the floor on her room and sighed.

The next morning, Nodoka woke up with a smile on her face, and got ready as quick as possible. Chouji and Shikamaru would be there in ten minutes, and Nodoka skipped breakfast. She headed out after kissing her mother and was shocked to see only Shikamaru standing near her gate. She looked around and Chouji wasn't there. Nodoka's stomach flipped and she ignored the feeling and walked toward him and waved. He waved back and said, "Chouji's called in sick. Its' gonna be only the two of us walking today." Shikamaru said, unaware of the repercussions of his words on the girl.

When she waved at him, Shikamaru took a deep breath. She smiled at him and his chest almost exploded. He sighed and told her about Chouji and regretted the words he used. But Nodoka brushed it off, and walked casually like nothing happened. "The poor guy, wonder what happened." Nodoka said, earnestly worried for her best friend. Shikamaru shrugged and sighed once more.

"You sure sigh a lot."

Nodoka giggled. Shikamaru's heart danced.

'I'm giggling now? Brilliant! What the hell is wrong with me? I act like a douche around this guy even when Chouji's there! Now that he's sick, I'm gonna make a complete fool out of myself!' Nodoka shut her eyes and shook her head.

"You know, Chouji talks a lot about you." Shikamaru began.

Nodoka laughed and stayed quiet before adding, "I've seen you once before. Here, I don't know if you remember, but, five years ago, you were eating ice cream in that parlor that opened up recently. I ate there too, and I remembered your pony tail." Nodoka's face warmed slightly and Shikamaru thought for a minute.

'That was her?' he thought and looked at her face. Shikamaru smiled and said, "Yeah, I remember you now." Shikamaru was still smiling when Nodoka looked up at him.

"Weird, huh? Meeting again after five years, being next door neighbors and all." Nodoka said, scratching the back of her head. Shikamaru chuckled and nodded. And before they knew it, they were in school. Nodoka was disheartened slightly and waved at the guy and walked to her classroom. Shikamaru stood there, and sighed for the millionth time and walked in, with a smile on his face.

Throughout the day, the two of them could think of only one another. They kept bumping into each other, in every break they got, and when it happened for the fourth time, they laughed. Shikamaru was someone Nodoka felt comfortable around, and Shikamaru felt the same about her. During lunch, Shikamaru saw Nodoka eating with Hinata, Shino and Kiba and he saw that Kiba was a little too close for comfort. Shikamaru wasn't aware he was frowning.

After lunch, they bumped into each other again and this time, they were alone. They looked at each other's face and stood there, wide eyed. Shikamaru grunted and said, "You're everywhere." Nodoka laughed and playfully hit his arm, a habit she had gotten used to doing. Chouji told him she did it with people she was most comfortable with, and when she hit him, he smiled. "See ya after school, Shika." She said, and walked off.

Shikamaru's heart leapt.

'Shika?' He didn't like it when people called him that, but when Nodoka used that name, he couldn't help but smile once more.

After school, when they saw each other once more, Nodoka felt her heart swell. Her stomach was flipping every time he said her name, or even laughed or even looked at her face. She blushed sometimes around him, and their walk home was awkward yet nice. She felt her cheeks glow red when she saw his face and she smiled more. Nodoka's hands were all sweaty, and Shikamaru's laugh made her head grow heavy.

The way he spoke to her and the way he saw her and the way he said her name made Nodoka want to faint. And after she reached home, and closed the door, Nodoka sank down and sat on the ground, her back touching the door and she thought to herself, 'I have a crush on Shikamaru Nara.' Nodoka squealed like a little girl.

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**A/N: I need reviews to keep updating this story, and if no one's reading then I'll drop it. So far, this story hasn't gotten any favorites, nor follows, and just one review. Not good enough, so please review, favorite and follow~ :) **


	4. Phone Conversations Lead To So Much More

When Nodoka realized she had a crush on Shikamaru, the lazy genius, she couldn't look at him like a friend anymore. She blushed, and her fingers fidgeted and her heart raced. It felt nice to feel like a regular high school girl with a crush, and Nodoka liked the tingly feeling she got in her stomach whenever she saw him. Shikamaru on the other hand, had no idea about this. He was being the regular good friend to her like how Chouji was. He spotted the girl standing by the locker room, talking to Hinata, her best friend. That was when someone jumped on his shoulder. Shikamaru grunted loudly, loud enough for Nodoka and Hinata to look to his direction. It was Ino, Shikamaru's chemistry lab partner.

It was rumored that Ino had a thing for Shikamaru, but most already knew that she was fighting for Sasuke Uchiha's heart. Nodoka saw the two of them, and she cringed. She didn't like how close she was to him. Nodoka pursed her lips and turned around and ushered Hinata to leave the area. She couldn't watch anymore.

"Get off me!" Shikamaru said, and Ino obliged and giggled.

"I was just having fun Shikamaru, relax. So, we've got lab today, and I want you to teach me exactly how to work those chemicals, alright?" Ino winked at him and Shikamaru sighed. "You're such a drag." He said, and Ino puffed her cheeks. "You can't ever say something other than that, can you?" She asked him and suddenly scooped up closer to his face. "You're red faced, wonder why?" Ino winked at him and Shikamaru groaned. "Ino, go away will you? The last thing I'd want right now is you're whining voice ringing in my ears. Oh wait, it's already begun." Shikamaru pushed the girl away and walked off.

He normally wouldn't flip at Ino like that. He's known her since they were kids, and he believed he was used to the girl's annoying tantrums. But, after what happened now, he wasn't. After school, he saw Chouji near the gate and walked to him. "Hey." He said and Chouji greeted him the same. "You know, Nodoka was really pissed. I dunno why." Chouji said, and Shikamaru shook his head. "Girls. They're always pissed at something or the other." Shikamaru was curious but he wanted to drop it. Although he couldn't. "No, she's never pissed this much. She looked like she was going to cry." Shikamaru felt his heart drop. "Cry?" He repeated and Chouji nodded.

"I'll uh…talk to her." Shikamaru said, and went looking for the girl.

Nodoka joined the boys after a short while, and even Shikamaru could tell something was terribly wrong. Chouji signaled him to talk to her and Shikamaru sighed. He walked up to the girl and said, "Hey, you look…glum." Great job, Shikamaru. Like she didn't know that! Nodoka sighed and said, "It's stupid really. You're just going to laugh at me." She said and Shikamaru groaned. "Girls are always so confusing. I didn't ask you what's wrong if I didn't wanna know, you know. So spill." Nodoka looked away and said, "Math."

Did he hear right? "What?"

"Math. He told me I need to write a test next week because I-"Nodoka took something out of her bag. Shikamaru stared at the paper with his eyes carefully. "-I just passed, let me rephrase that, I almost failed." Shikamaru didn't know she was the type to get depressed over a grade. She had gotten a D in her paper and she was asked to re-write. It was math, a subject he found easy. Shikamaru smiled slightly and said, "You know you can ask for help." Nodoka laughed.

"Yeah, Hinata's house is on the other side of town! And I can't ask Chouji since, well, he-s" Shikamaru chuckled. "I was talking about me." He said, smiling at her.

Did she hear right? 'Oh my god! Did he just say what I think he said?' Nodoka was sure she was hyperventilating. Her hands turned cold, and she didn't know what to say. "Uh, you sure?" Shikamaru nodded and took a piece of paper from a notebook in his bag, and scribbled something on it. He handed it to Nodoka and said, "Call me." He smiled at her and Nodoka didn't realize his house came out so fast.

She had just gotten Shikamaru's phone number.

She knew she wouldn't be able to sleep that night.

'Who knew a bad grade could result to this?' She grinned and walked inside her house, grinning.

The thought of calling him scared her. What if he regretted giving her his number? They weren't super close or anything, but he told her to call him. Should she? Maybe he just gave her his number to cheer her up. Maybe he gave her a fake number? No, he wouldn't do that. Nodoka shivered not knowing why, and she was red faced the whole time. 'Oh my goodness, what should I do?' She thought to herself and chewed her nails, a habit she took off from Hinata, at times of nervousness.

'It's now or never!' she thought to herself and dialed his number and it rang.

When she heard someone say 'Hello?' She almost squealed and cut the call. Her heart was racing and she didn't know what to say. She suddenly forgot how to talk and she just sat there on her bed, unmoving. 'If he gets to know it's me, I shall be shamed forever!' She thought to herself and covered herself in her blankets before taking a deep breath.

"Now or never, Nodoka. He's just a boy." Her heart argued with that.

She dialed his number and waited. He picked the call faster this time and asked again, "Hello?" He sounded so lazy, and sleepy at the same time, or both. "Hey, it's me Nodoka, sorry about the last call, the phone fell." She lied and smiled. 'A boy's sleepy voice is just insanely sexy.' She thought to herself and blushed again.

Nodoka called him. He expected her not to, thinking she found it awkward that he gave his number to her so fast, even when she didn't ask. He didn't know whether she would think he was sane or not and she called him. He smiled and said, "Hey. Math bugging you?" He heard her giggle. He laughed slightly.

He couldn't recall the details, but when he hung up, he saw the call log read 54 minutes and 46 seconds.

Shikamaru's heart skipped a beat when he saw it, and he smiled wider.

Nodoka loved talking to Shikamaru over the phone. She spoke about sweet nothings, and she loved every minute of it. She couldn't remember any of it, yet, she knew it was the best phone conversation in her life. Nodoka squealed so hard her throat went dry. He pressed her head to the pillow and laughed like a retard the whole evening.

The after effects of a conversation with a crush over the phone.

Shikamaru saw the girl the next day and said, "Call log, 54 minutes. My mind, blank. Do you know what we spoke about?" He was smirking when he asked her and she shook her head and laughed. "And you say you hate talking, Mr. Lazy-bones." She punched his hand playfully and ran off to her class.

Shikamaru looked down at the ground and laughed. "Nodoka." He said her name and smiled widely.

He had a weird feeling in his stomach whenever he saw her from that day forth.

* * *

**A/N: I know short chapter. I'm sorry! I just don't know if I should keep updating or not. Please let me know of what you think of the story so far. :)**


	5. Study Dates

Nodoka woke up, smiling from ear to ear. She had dreamt of him again, and it's become a sort of habit for her. She woke up and walked downstairs for breakfast and as she looked at the calendar, her smile faded. It was a Sunday. Sunday meant no walking to school with Shikamaru. Sunday meant no spying on him during lunch. Sunday only meant break from school, but if that meant not seeing Shikamaru, then Nodoka didn't find that satisfying. The things a crush can do to a girl, she thought and kissed her mother on the cheek as usual. "Good morning, sweety. Hey, listen I have a favor to ask you." Nodoka nodded and listened. "I've got to go grocery shopping today, and I thought since it's a Sunday, you can come with me!" Nodoka cringed, not really wanting to go out, but the moment she thought of a possibility of meeting or at least seeing Shikamaru, she smiled and nodded. "Sounds good to me, unless you buy me chocolate." Nodoka winked, and made sure her mother didn't suspect anything.

Nodoka's mother didn't approve of crushes or relationships, until she at least turned seventeen. She was orthodox of sorts, and at first Nodoka didn't mind at all. So, whenever the topic of 'boys' came up, Nodoka had to fake it, going as far as to call Johnny Depp 'too old', when her mind screamed out that the man was as hot as any man alive. "Okay then! Go get ready, and let's go!" Nodoka's mother said and the girl smiled. Nodoka's father was almost always out of the country for work, he was a doctor, and he was as busy as hell. He barely had time to talk to his daughter or wife but they understood. Nodoka quickly walked into the bathroom and got ready.

She made sure not to use too much make up, and not look to casual. She groaned when she saw the carbs on her stomach, and decided she would get rid of them when she got the chance. She took a deep breath and stared at her stomach. It seemed flat enough, so she decided to walk around like that, pressing her stomach inside, to make her seem thinner. She wore denim jeans and a tank top which didn't make her seem too fat nor did it stick to her body too much. Once she was satisfied, Nodoka walked downstairs and they headed out.

"I saw your math grade, Nodoka." Nodoka's mother said, and the girl seemed to be interested with her fingers all of a sudden. "Mom, you know I suck at it, it's not fair that you expect me to be so good at something I hate. I'm not Shikamaru you know." Nodoka mentally killed herself. She walked quietly after that, her heart pounding on her chest. She wanted it to seem casual, like it didn't matter that she mentioned Shikamaru to her mother, but on the inside, Nodoka was fighting a million battles. "Who's he?" Nodoka's mother asked, and Nodoka sighed. "A dude from school who's good at math." Nodoka let out, as if it didn't matter.

"Oh? Are you friends with him?" Nodoka grimaced. "Uh, well, I dunno." 'What is the matter with you Nodoka? Gah! Mom you had to talk about Shikamaru to me now didn't you? Ugh, okay girl, play it cool, she shouldn't know you like him, she shouldn't even know you're friends with him! Mom's a smart woman, one little slip, she'll figure it out and she'll take your case! Play it cool Nodoka!' Nodoka thought to herself and continued walking. "I guess you can say that, we sorta share just one class or something." Nodoka's mother nodded. 'Thank goodness she bought it!' Nodoka sighed mentally. Nodoka turned forward and her heart pounded, it was Shikamaru's house. Nodoka prayed he wasn't at home, and she prayed he wouldn't come out. But some part of her wanted to see him, to see his face, that straight pony tail and that lazy grin he'd wear when he sees her. Nodoka smiled to herself and bit her lip so that she wouldn't squeal or laugh. Then it happened.

The door of his house opened and the boy walked outside, yawning to throw out garbage. Nodoka's eyes widened and her heart was stuck in her throat. She stopped walking for a second, and she gulped. 'Don't see me, please don't see me, don't see me.' Nodoka repeated in her head, but as luck would have it he saw her. He smiled. He waved. Nodoka's mom turned to look at her and she smiled immediately, ignoring the throbbing in her chest. She waved and said, "Hi Shikamaru." Nodoka's mom smiled at the boy and Shikamaru walked up to them. "You're up early. Uh, hello Mrs.-""Nayumi Nakamura. You must be Shikamaru. Nodoka told me about you." She smiled and Shikamaru scratched his head. Nodoka wanted to hang herself.

'She talks about me?' Shikamaru smiled and immediately cleared his throat before he seemed like a douche. "We're going grocery shopping." Nodoka said, and Shikamaru nodded. He couldn't help but notice Nodoka seemed a little uncomfortable. He didn't want to push it. "So, uh, see you around then. See you, Nodoka, Mrs. Nakamura." Shikamaru waved and walked back inside. Nodoka sighed in relief and walked with her mother.

"He seems like nice guy, Nodoka." Nayumi told her daughter. Nodoka nodded and said, "Yeah whatever." Nayumi sighed. "You know it would be so nice if the two of you got married." Nodoka wanted to squeal. Her eyes widened and her heart raced. What did her mother just tell her? "W-what? Him? Psh! Please, no way." Nodoka said, ignoring the blooming happiness inside of her. Did that mean her mother approved of Shikamaru? 'What else could it mean?' Nodoka smiled widely and pressed her hands to her face, to cover her blush. She wanted to shout. "You know what, if Shikamaru's so good at math, the two of you should study together." Nodoka didn't think whatever was happening was real. It had to be a dream. "Say what?" She asked, faking the casual tone of voice.

"It'll help you dear, think about it. Group studying with a guy like that." Nodoka didn't think it was possible for her to smile wider, but she did. "Really? Ugh. Alright then. If you say so." Nodoka didn't want her mother to think she was happy with this. She played it cool, like all of this didn't matter, and she just walked. Of course, it did matter, a study date with her crush seemed too good to be true. "It's settled then." Nayumi smiled at her daughter and the two began shopping.

That night, Nodoka lay on her bed, talking to Shikamaru about what happened. Of course she didn't tell him the marriage part, just the part where her mother wanted her to go over to his house to 'study' math. Shikamaru chuckled and said, "Fine by me. What time tomorrow? After school?" Nodoka smiled through the phone, not believing all this was real. She wasn't that popular, and she wasn't super smart. She wasn't extremely gorgeous or anything and she didn't have a curvy figure. She was plain Nodoka, who loved eating, slacking off, commenting of guy's looks and gaming. She never thought such 'girly' things could ever happen to her and, now that they were, she felt somewhat happy.

"Sure, I'll see you tomorrow." She said, smiling. Shikamaru smiled at the sound of her voice and heard her yawn. "Seems like someone's sleepy." He looked at the time and it shocked him. It was 23:15. Usually, by this time, Shikamaru would've been dreaming. "I'll see you tomorrow, get some sleep. Good night Nodoka." He smiled and ended the call. Nodoka groaned with happiness, and slept peacefully that night, dreaming of the study date.

Nodoka and Shikamaru spoke to each other in the phone every night. It had become a sort of ritual for the two. The next day they would meet up, and walk to school with Chouji. And then the time came, when she had to go to his house. Chouji found it odd, that Nodoka was willing to learn at a friend's place, and when she told him her mother set it up, Chouji laughed. As Nodoka and Shikamaru walked to his house that evening, Nodoka's heart was at her throat. They had a test coming up in a week, and Shikamaru didn't seem the sort to slack off, even if he wanted to. Now that Nodoka was here, he couldn't sleep. When she entered his house, her heart leapt and the color rose to her cheeks. Her hands were fidgety and she was awed. Everything about his house seemed so captivating, and she loved every bit of it. Maybe it was because she had a crush on him that everything looked so good and out of the ordinary, but Nodoka couldn't help but feel as if she was in a place so divine, she felt blessed.

"Shikamaru you're home-Oh!" Nodoka didn't know what to say. Shikamaru sighed and said, "Mom, this is Nodoka, Nodoka, this is my mom, Yoshino Nara." Nodoka bowed. "It's nice to meet you." Yoshino smiled and said, "It's nice to meet you Nodoka." "She's here to uh, study." Yoshino looked at her son like he had said the most amusing thing she had ever heard. "Really?" Nodoka nodded. "I uh…am terrible when it comes to math, so I was hoping Shikamaru would help-""Oh dear, you don't have to be so formal! Just don't do anything naughty inside alright?" Shikamaru and Nodoka's eyes widened. "Mom!" Yoshino shook her head, and said, "I-I meant, don't talk and waste time." She laughed a little and walked off into the kitchen.

They entered Shikamaru's room and Nodoka looked around. It looked so neat, unlike hers. "Neat." She said, and Shikamaru sighed. "Mom did it. Cleaning the room is such a drag." Nodoka smiled at his choice of words. "Sorry about mom. She freaks out when she sees me talking to any girl. Let alone a pretty one." Nodoka wanted to jump high in the air. Did Shikamaru just call her pretty? 'No, Nodoka don't you dare react.' She thought to herself and stayed quiet.

'I called her pretty. What is wrong with me? She doesn't seem to have minded, so I guess its fine. Gah, girls are so troublesome.' Shikamaru thought to himself and sat, a little far across Nodoka. Nodoka noticed the distance and smiled. 'So you wanna play it safe eh tough guy?' She thought to herself and moved a little further. And all through the session, the two teenagers each, controlling the urge to smile, studied math with great difficulty.

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**A/N: A week to update. *phew*  
Sorry about the late update, was busy with college applications and other stories as well. I liked the reviews this story got even if there aren't many, and well, I'm telling you guys this again, this Nodoka person is actually my best friend. This story is based off true events. This really happened.  
Read and review!~**


	6. Everything They Need

Nodoka was once again walking to Shikamaru's house for the routine math sessions. She smiled to herself as she walked and saw to her left that Shikamaru was yawning. He turned to look at her look at him and cocked his eyebrow. She turned away immediately, killing herself mentally for being so stupid, and continued walking. She saw his house from afar and she checked to see if anyone was inside her house, which she passed. "So, what are we gonna learn today?" Shikamaru groaned as he recalled and Nodoka hit his arm playfully and chuckled. "Why must you always remind me about the math part of our meetings?" He questioned and Nodoka laughed. "Um, because passing is something I need desperately." Shikamaru smirked slightly and walked inside his house, his mother in the kitchen as usual.

Nodoka visited Shikamaru every day the past week, and Yoshino didn't mind having her around. And there was something else Nodoka noticed. When she studied math with the lazy genius, she noticed he sat farther away from her and avoided making any physical contact with her. At first, Nodoka found that cute and funny, but now it bothered her a little. It wasn't something she didn't know, that she liked him, and the way he was treating her made her feel she was a burden. But that day, as she sat on the bed, with him sitting a little far off, she dropped her pen and it slid toward Shikamaru's leg. She bent to pick it up and he bent down and picked it before and when their hands made contact, Nodoka felt some sort of rush inside her. She jerked back quickly and Shikamaru handed her the pen. And she noticed something else.

Shikamaru scooted a little closer to her.

Nodoka smiled as she walked back home, her heard pounding as she recalled the moment when her fingers brushed against his. Shikamaru tried sitting far off from her, in some way of trying to let her know he wasn't going to try anything. But Nodoka didn't seem the self-conscious type, and he scooted a little further. When she bent down to pick her pen, Shikamaru tried his best not to look at her, or any part of her. He succeeded of course. Yoshino walked into his room and smiled at Shikamaru who was lying on the bed. "Nodoka's a nice catch, isn't she?" Yoshino winked and Shikamaru pretended to be asleep. Just as his mother left the room he muttered to himself, "Yeah…She is."

Nodoka met Chouji the next day in school and she began coughing all of a sudden. "Whoa, where's the fire?" Chouji teased as he popped another chip in his mouth, and Nodoka panted. "Shut up." She said and sat on the bench. She felt very tired, and she didn't know what was wrong. Nodoka wasn't feeling hungry, and her eyes burned when she blinked, and her throat burned. She walked to Shikamaru's house that day, quietly and he noticed something was wrong. Shikamaru led her to his room and Nodoka propped on the bed, and panted hard. Shikamaru observed the girl, and walked up to her and placed his hand on her forehead. Nodoka's eyes were wide when his hand travelled from her forehead to her cheek and then to her neck. She tried hard not to gulp.

Nodoka's heart was pounding against her chest and she was sure Shikamaru could hear it as well. "You've got a fever, Nodoka." He said, frowning a little. 'That's maybe because you touched me.' Nodoka thought to herself and Shikamaru's hand was still warm against her neck. He placed it back on her forehead and Nodoka gulped. "Lie down." He whispered and Nodoka thought she was going to go insane. She looked at him as if he were speaking another language which she couldn't decipher and Shikamaru groaned. "Lie down, Nodoka." He said one more time and she listened. Shikamaru walked out of the room and went into the kitchen.

Nodoka touched the area on her forehead where Shikamaru had touched before and she smiled widely. She closed her eyes and felt the extreme need to squeal. She held herself back, and placed her two hands on her cheeks and smiled wider, and when the door clicked, she closed her eyes, brought her hands back down and the smile faded.

Shikamaru walked into the kitchen and his mother saw him there and said, "Is she asking you to learn how to cook? That's nice." Yoshino winked and Shikamaru sighed. "She's got a fever." He said, as he wet the handkerchief he was holding. "Oh? Is it bad?" Yoshino asked, worried and Shikamaru shook his head. "She'll be fine, she's…got a light fever that's all." Yoshino sighed in relief and she smiled immediately. "And how cute! My son taking care of his sick girlfriend." Shikamaru cocked his eyebrow and groaned. "How troublesome." He muttered and walked out. 'If it try and fight back, she'll figure out something's up. Women are so troublesome. And besides, fighting back is a drag.' He thought to himself and walked back into his room and found Nodoka almost asleep. He smiled slightly, and placed the wet cloth on her forehead and sat beside her on the bed. Shikamaru never recalled fighting back an urge to do anything and right now, he fought back the urge to kiss the girl on her forehead.

When Nodoka woke up, she was still in Shikamaru's house. She jerked upwards, and groaned. She still felt ill, and Shikamaru sighed. "Don't worry, I told your mom you were sick. She asked me to drop you off when you woke up." Nodoka couldn't believe her ears. 'My mom thinks it's okay I slept over at a guy's place? What in the world brought this change?' She thought to herself and sat up. "What's wrong with me?" She asked, and Shikamaru chuckled. "Fever." The girl groaned and stood up. "I'll head off home now, mom will worry anyhow." She said, and smiled at Shikamaru and stared at his face.

Shikamaru didn't know what came over him. "Nodoka…I…" She waited and kept looking at his face and he walked to the door. "Let's go." He said, and Nodoka was dumbfounded. 'Odd.' She thought to herself and followed. On her walk home, she thanked Shikamaru a hundred times for taking care of her. He brushed it off, like it was nothing, and Nodoka smiled. Shikamaru frowned every time she smiled, and she didn't take long to figure out something was up. "Hey, what's wrong?" She asked, as she stood in front of him at her house door. Shikamaru looked at her face and sighed. "I've got something to tell you, but the after effects are extremely troublesome, and I don't want to go through it all." Nodoka's heart skipped a beat. What did he want to tell her?

"It's okay, you can tell me anything Shikamaru." She said, hoping he would blurt it out, but he didn't look like he was going to tell her anything. "Just…forget it alright? Take care of yourself. Good night." He said, and walked off, and Nodoka frowned slightly. 'He's hiding something and I need to find out what!' Nodoka said, and walked inside.

It was obvious to Shikamaru that Nodoka was going to miss school the next day. He walked with Chouji and heard him talk about something random and nothing interested him. He was about to tell Nodoka the previous night that he liked her, but he couldn't do it. 'This is all such a drag.' He thought to himself and frowned. He couldn't pay attention that day, and his math problems were wrong. He liked taking care of her, and he recalled her sleeping face. The way she opened her mouth slightly and the way she mumbled something and cuddled the pillow beside her. Nodoka was the exact opposite of himself. She was jumpy and he was lazy. She was loud, and he preferred not talking. But, something about her attracted him and he was smitten. If he kept all this inside him, it'll only lead to worse reactions and he knew he had to tell her sooner or later. A month passed, and still no sign. Nodoka was back just after one day, and she kept pestering Shikamaru about what he needed to tell her, but he never said anything.

Nodoka was ecstatic when she got a B+ in her math grade and stuck to learning with Shikamaru everyday now, and seemingly the guy didn't mind. And on one day, Nodoka remembers sitting on Shikamaru's bed and Shikamaru was standing in front of her. "You know how I always tell you that women are such a drag?" Nodoka chuckled and nodded. The door was latched closed. "And…I know if I keep things from them they'll obviously find out?" Nodoka didn't know where this was going. He walked closer to her and held her hands. Nodoka blushed and turned away and he said, "Don't turn away Nodoka." Nodoka blushed harder. "Shika-""You were wondering what I've got to tell you, right?" Nodoka had a feeling she knew what it was. She smiled and nodded. She stared at his face, and he kept looking at her arms. "I like you, Nodoka. Like, a lot." And she didn't think twice before she said, "I like you too." It was so quick, Shikamaru didn't even breathe in after he told her what he had said. He turned to look at her face and Nodoka stared at him. Her chest was exploding, and her knees were weak. But, he held her before her legs gave in. He was so tempting. He was everything she needed. Shikamaru stood up and hugged Nodoka and she swore she felt butterflies flutter in her stomach. He kissed her forehead and Nodoka smiled wider. She was all he needed, and that was that.

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**A/N: Alright, this is gonna get interesting now. Let me give you guys a little pointer of how it ended up for my friend, this was one of the most confusing/emotional/thrilling/threatening experiences in her life! And she loved bits of it, despised a few of the moments, and wished certain people didn't exist. Well, happy endings are overrated aren't they?  
Tell me what you guys think of the story so far!  
Read and review~**


	7. Red Handed?

Nodoka smiled at her 'boyfriend' and giggled softly. Shikamaru was smiling at the girl, and didn't say a word. What could people say at situations like this? There was no need for any sort of exchange of words, since, all that needs to be said, could be told through their gazes at each other. Nodoka stepped back, and cleared her throat, and said, "So, uh…what now?" She asked the dreaded question, although she wasn't afraid of anything right now. Shikamaru blew air out of his mouth and said, "I don't know. I've never done this before." And he sat on the bed, with Nodoka next to him. The girl smiled to herself and muttered, "God, I am so happy right now." And thankfully Shikamaru didn't hear her. "Walk me home? It's getting late. As much as I want to stay here, I can't." Shikamaru sighed and smiled slightly before getting back up on his feet. "Yeah, let's go."

What was she supposed to do? It was her first relationship with someone, and she honestly believed she wouldn't ever be in a relationship with anyone for a very long time. And then Shikamaru tagged along, and Nodoka fell for him. "It isn't a problem is it?" She asked, and Shikamaru chuckled. "How come you're so hostile now? Before, you didn't even care about me dropping you off." Nodoka playfully hit his arm and said, "I just…dunno what to say, alright?" That point Shikamaru could understand. He never spoke much, but right now he too felt the difficulty in saying something to the girl beside him. 'She's my girlfriend. I can't believe it.' He thought to himself and took a deep breath inside. His eyes landed on Nodoka's hands, and then he shifted his gaze to his own which were right next to hers. He touched them, (making it seem like it was an accident) once, and swallowed. He was clearly not good at something like this. Yet, he decided to try again.

Nodoka felt something brush her hand and she saw Shikamaru's hand very close to hers. The girl blushed immediately and smiled to herself. She was scared to take the first initiative, but she opened her hands a little and then in a minute, Shikamaru's hands surrounded her own, and the girl felt her heart skip a beat. His fingers entwined in hers and Nodoka looked at the ground, smiling. What was it called when you have a crush on someone and they in turn become your boyfriend? She didn't know, but right now it didn't matter to her.

Nodoka reached home and she tip toed and kissed the boy on his cheek, too scared to kiss him on the lips. It was her first kiss, and she didn't know what was going through her head. Shikamaru didn't actually mind, he knew about Nodoka's mother, and how she disliked relationships. He also knew that he had to keep this a secret from Nodoka's mother, and that meant no public affection. Not like he wanted public attention, the last thing the lazy genius would want were people barricading him questions about his first girlfriend, and he didn't want to put Nodoka through it all. "Good night, Shikamaru." Nodoka said, her face red. Shikamaru smiled and said, "Yeah, good night." And he walked back home.

Nodoka entered home, and waited till Shikamaru walked a little far away from her house and she yelped loudly. She didn't care that her mother was home, and she didn't care if it disturbed the neighbours. Something she believed impossible, just happened that night. She sunk to the ground, and her mother came running from the kitchen. "Honey, are you alright?" Nodoka looked at her mother, and smiled widely and yelped once more and ran to her room. "Have you lost it, young lady?" Nodoka cuddled her pillow and smiled and squealed.

"I can't believe it!" She said, gasping. Her heart was pounding, and her face was red. Nodoka was ecstatic, and her mother followed her up to her room and leaned against the door frame. "Mind explaining the yelping girl act that I just witnessed?" Nodoka didn't know what to say. "I got an A+ on my Computer Exam." Nodoka smiled through the lie and her mother was joyous. "But you always scored a C+!" Nodoka nodded frantically and smiled wider. She honestly disliked computer study, and this lie must've been believable. "Let's go out for dinner then! "Her mother said, clapping her hands together. Nodoka yelped once more and nodded.

There was no more happiness than this.

The next day, as she walked with Shikamaru, Chouji found something to be strange. The two of them were awfully quiet, and they were smiling. He could believe if something were wrong with Nodoka, but Shikamaru was smiling like a love struck loser too. "Are you guys dating or something? Geez." He said, as he ate a chip. If only he was smarter, Chouji could've understood faster. School was a breeze for Nodoka, happiness she felt and wanted to last forever. She could see Shikamaru stare at her during lunch and he turned away with a blush as she caught him. Walking back home, Chouji didn't realize the two were dating just yet, he was still as dense as ever. Shikamaru kissed the girl on the cheek and Nodoka giggled as Chouji stood there, with his mouth agape. "You-You two are dating!" Nodoka giggled once again and waved at her friend, and entered Shikamaru's house. She didn't learn that much that day.

Shikamaru locked the door to his room and sighed. He turned to see Nodoka shuffle something in her bag, and his gaze fell at her chest. Being the unbeknownst gentleman that he was, the Nara boy looked away and Nodoka turned to him and said, "We don't have any tests this week. Wanna slack off, teach?" She winked and Shikamaru said, "Whatever, teaching's a drag." Nodoka rolled her eyes and said, "Everything's a drag for my Shika." Her eyes widened at her statement and she closed her mouth with her palms. Shikamaru turned to her and pulled her up on her feet and hugged her. "Shika's a nickname I dreaded when I was a kid. It was a pain to even listen to it." Nodoka listened on and said, "And?" Shikamaru then did something he never thought he would do. He kissed the girl on her lips and said, "I actually don't mind that you call me that." Nodoka was jaw dropped.

Her hands were shivering. Shikamaru just kissed her. 'Oh my god…' She thought over and over again and felt herself slowly go insane. She yelped silently and bit her lip after letting out a soft giggle. "What's wrong?" He asked, and Nodoka shook her head. She placed her hands on either side of his face and said, "I'm just excited." She didn't know what else to say. "What?" Shikamaru said, and Nodoka stepped back in retaliation. "I-I didn't mean that sorta…no! I mean, I was…it's my first kiss is all!" Her face was red, and Shikamaru chuckled at her response. "It was mine too." She felt herself glow, and Nodoka pounced on the boy and placed her head on his chest.

A week passed and the hugs and kisses grew very frequent, especially when they were at a lonely corridor in school, or behind the locked door of Shikamaru's room. One day, as she walked to Shikamaru's house with him, she sat next to his bed and saw that her boyfriend was quieter than normal. The distance between their sitting positions wasn't there at all, and Nodoka checked his temperature. She smiled as she said, "You're sick." She made him lean his head on her lap and said, "I'll take care of you, today." Shikamaru chuckled. "Troublesome…" Nodoka smiled and said, "Troublesome that I'm taking care of you, or that you're sick?" Shikamaru held her hand and said, "A little bit of both?" Nodoka chuckled as she kissed his lips.

One day, after their study session, Nodoka's mom came to pick her up much to her disappointment, and Shikamaru sighed and said, "It's alright. I'm gonna sleep longer." Nodoka playfully hit his arm and chuckled. She hugged him and pecked his lips and then she heard movement right next to the door. The door was open.

Nodoka's heart rate increased.

Her mother passed the door, in an instant, and Nodoka went backwards as fast as she could. Did her mother see it?

Nodoka didn't know.

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**A/N: Long time~ I know, I've been busy. Ah well, cliffhanger? So, tell me how the story's progressing! Read and review~ **


	8. Match Making

"Who was that? Did she see us?" Nodoka asked, her heart beating faster than normal. Shikamaru slowly peeked outside, and shook his head in relief. "She didn't see anything. But you know what? You've gotta tell her about us." Nodoka didn't even think before she said, "She'll take my case." Shikamaru chuckled and led his girlfriend outside. "See you tomorrow." He said, and smiled at her, sending butterflies flying inside her tummy. Nodoka blushed and nodded and walked to her mother, and went home.

At night, she called up Hinata and said, "Hey Hina, guess what?" Hinata wasn't a guesser. "Nodoka, you really are leaving me clueless here, you know that?" Nodoka chuckled and said, "I'm dating someone." Hinata's eyes widened and she ushered her younger sister to close the door. Hanabi, the younger Hyuga smirked and closed the door as her elder sister asked. "Who-""Shikamaru!" Hinata smiled widely and said, "Oh, that's great Nodoka!" Hinata felt really happy for her friend, and suddenly Nodoka said, "He was my first kiss too. Wow, he's…gah, he's awesome!" Hinata smiled wider and said, "It's nice to see you're happy." "Oh Hinata you have no idea! He's just-"That sentence made Hinata's chest explode. Of course she didn't know. "You're right Nodoka, I don't know." She said, her voice breaking.

Nodoka's eyes widened with what she said. "Hinata? Wait I didn't mean that, I meant…hey, I'm sorry." Hinata sniffed and said, "It's okay, I know you didn't mean it." Hinata forced a smile and Hanabi patted the girl's head. "Hinata, you know what? I'm gonna help work things between you and Naru-tard." Hinata's heart skipped a beat at the mention of the blonde's name and she smiled softly. "He likes S-Sakura." Nodoka knew that. But she also knew that if anyone deserved Naruto, then it's her. [1] "Hinata, you've liked Naruto since middle-school!" Or even before that, she wasn't sure. "Don't worry, I'll talk to Shikamaru and Chouji about this. And besides, Kiba won't let us down." Nodoka hung up and Hinata knew her world was going to crash.

The next day, Nodoka told Shikamaru she needed to talk to him and the boy hated those six words. "What's this about?" Nodoka turned to him with a serious look and said, "We need to hook two people together." Shikamaru's eyes widened and he cussed. "That's what you called me here for? God! Women." Nodoka chuckled at his exaggeration. "Hinata loves Naru-tard. From middle-school, or even before that. And that idiot likes Sakura." Shikamaru wasn't amused. "You want us to hook a shy girl and a brainless guy together?" Nodoka nodded. Shikamaru sighed. "Hard work. Such a-"Nodoka kissed the boy on his lips and said, "-drag. Great. I'll see you in lunch." Shikamaru stood there, unmoving and sighed once more. "Women." He said, and walked off.

Nodoka walked right behind Hinata and said, "Hina-chan, guess what?" Hinata turned around, and smiled. "Shikamaru and I are gonna make Naru-tard fall for you!" Nodoka gave her friend a thumbs up and Hinata felt her chest explode. "Don't worry, everything will work out fine." Hinata didn't know what would happen after this. The two of them walked to their respective classes and at lunch, Nodoka sat with Hinata and someone touched her shoulder from behind. She turned to see Kiba. "Hey! You heard right?" Kiba winked at Hinata and said, "Yep." Nodoka chuckled and Hinata looked down depressed. "So, I heard about you dating Nara, that true?" Nodoka nodded and Kiba sighed. "Great." He said, and Nodoka cocked her eyebrow. "What's up with you?" Kiba shook his head and walked off saying, "I gotta go, see ya around."

Shikamaru saw the scene with Kiba and sighed. "I'll be right back." He said, and walked to Nodoka and said, "Come here." Nodoka turned to see her boyfriend and smiled. "Where?" Shikamaru didn't reply and he said, "You too Hinata." Hinata looked at Nodoka and said, "Where-"Nodoka followed Shikamaru to his table and saw that the table was filled with guys. Chouji, Sasuke, Neji who smiled at Hinata and Nodoka since he was Hinata's cousin, and Naruto. "Hey guys, this is Nodoka-"Shikamaru placed his hands and the low of her back and pushed her forward a little. "-she's my girlfriend." This was a shock to all the guys on the table and Naruto walked to Nodoka and said, "Wow! You and Shikamaru huh? Cool! How did that happen to the lazy ass anyway?" Nodoka glared at Naruto and said, "It's called a relationship Naru-tard." Nodoka and Naruto were partnered up in a project once. And ever since, she knew right away that he was as stupid as anyone could get.

Shikamaru chuckled and said, "You should try it." To Naruto and the boy looked confused. "Sakura always rejects me!" Naruto whined and Hinata squirmed on where she stood. "Maybe you should try for someone who's more approachable." Naruto looked at her and said, "You have a sister or something?" Nodoka wanted to beat the guy on his face. "No dobe, she meant the girl standing next to her." Sasuke said, much to Nodoka's surprise. Naruto turned to Hinata and said, "Hinata?" Hinata blushed and turned away. "Let's eat!" Nodoka said, and the guys agreed.

Although Naruto couldn't get the thought of the silver eyed girl out of his head, since Sasuke suggested it. He watched her talk to Nodoka and how friendly she was with Kiba. "Hey, you think I should ask Hinata out? I mean, she doesn't seem like someone you date." Naruto said, and Sasuke sighed. "I won't date her. You should." Naruto thought about it for a moment and said, "I'll ask her out this week, you think she'll say yes?" Sasuke looked at the blonde idiot and said, "I don't know. I heard she hates blondes like you." Naruto gasped and groaned. Sasuke chuckled. "Idiot." He muttered and walked off.

The next day, Naruto pulled Nodoka off separately and said, "Hey, I wanna ask Hinata out, you think she'll say yes?" Nodoka's eyes widened at the boy's stupidity. "Ask her idiot." Naruto sighed and said, "I don't think any girl would date me…" He sulked and Nodoka sighed. 'What does Hinata see in the guy?' She thought to herself and touched Naruto on his shoulder. "Ask her, she'll say yes. Either that, or she'll faint." Naruto was confused and Nodoka turned around and from afar she could see Shikamaru and another girl, as tall as him, with four pony-tails, and the two of them were talking and laughing. Nodoka didn't know who she was, and Naruto crawled up to her and said, "Who's the blonde chick?" Nodoka shook her head and said, "I don't know." Nodoka brushed it off, casually and walked off.

What she didn't know was what the two of them were talking about.

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**A/N: Long time, yesh.  
Was caught up with another story, I kinda forgot about this one, until fridgethatbubblegum reviewed. Thanks for that! :)  
Hope you like the story so far, but hey I can't make any changes, this is based off true events. **


	9. Call Me

Shikamaru sat in the lab, alone, with no one next to him on the bench. He sighed and looked around, and saw Ino and Kankuro partnered up. Shikamaru sighed and laid his head on the table. Then he shot back up. 'Kankuro? Isn't that guy from another class?' He thought to himself and turned to the door. In came a blonde with four pony tails. She walked to Shikamaru's bench and sat next to him. "Number Five?" She asked and Shikamaru recognized it to be the bench number. He nodded and laid his head back on the table. "Alright class, as you can see, you're all partnered up with students from a class above you or students from another class. It's the sequence for allotment this year. So, pick up your chemistry tools, and get ready. You and your partners will be fighting for points together, and it will all add up to your grade at the end of the semester." Iruka said, and Shikamaru sighed. 'This is such a drag.'

"Let's get this over with. I hate team work. Slows me down." The girl beside him said. Shikamaru looked up at her and said, "I hate work. Irrespective of how many people have to do it." The girl chuckled and said, "My name's Temari. You are-""Shikamaru Nara." He smiled. The experiment rolled on rather well, Shikamaru was shocked to see how smart Temari was. She knew almost everything there is to know in chemistry, and for once Shikamaru didn't have to explain things. 'I'd always have to explain to Nodoka-wait, what am I thinking? If I didn't, then I wouldn't be with her right now. What a pain.' Shikamaru frowned and Temari looked at him. "Something bothering you, Nara?" She asked and Shikamaru shook his head. 'I can't obviously tell her.' He thought and sighed. After class, Temari and Shikamaru walked out together, and the blonde turned to him and asked, "So, got a girlfriend, Nara?" Shikamaru froze.

In an instant he said, "Girls are a drag." Temari laughed and Shikamaru faked a smile. "Yeah, I figured. A guy like you can never have a girlfriend. Leaves my options open doesn't it?" Shikamaru chuckled on that, internally killing himself. "See you around, Nara. And, behind your book is my number. Call me." She said, and Shikamaru gulped. 'What the hell? Why did I just lie to her like that? Of course I have a girlfriend. Her name is Nodoka. Now I'm able to think about this. Great, what did I just do?' Shikamaru thought to himself and walked away.

Nodoka observed how Shikamaru stared at the blonde girl as she walked off. Maybe she had something of his? Maybe he was just staring off into space? He couldn't like her-No, there was no possibility. Nodoka brushed it off, and walked to class. After school, Nodoka walked through the corridors looking for Shikamaru, but she couldn't find him. Suddenly, someone grabbed her by her arm, and Nodoka yelped and turned around, and pinned the person to the wall, and gasped. "Shikamaru!" She said, and the male looked at her with wide eyes. "Sometimes you scare me, Nodoka." He said, and Nodoka chuckled.

"You scared me! It was an impulsive reaction." She said, and Shikamaru put his hands around her waist. "Most girls have a reaction to shout." Nodoka hugged the boy, and said, "Do you want me to shout?" Shikamaru shook his head. "No, I just wanna go home and grab something to eat. How's that sound?" Nodoka smiled and said, "Sounds great." She said, and the two walked out, hand in hand. They went over to Shikamaru's house and Nodoka ran into his room, and collapsed on his bed. "I just love lying here." She said, as she cuddled the pillow. Shikamaru chuckled and said, "Yeah, me too." Nodoka blushed and turned away, and Shikamaru realized what he said. "I didn't mean-No, uh…forget it." He said, and sat on the bed. Nodoka pulled him back and kissed his cheek. Shikamaru stared at Nodoka's face and she smiled. Suddenly, when she noticed he wasn't looking away, Nodoka tried to avoid his gaze as much as possible, by looking everywhere except his face. "H-Hey s-stop staring-"In an instant, Shikamaru pulled the girl's face and kissed her lips, and Nodoka's eyes widened.

The kiss was passionate, and forceful. And Nodoka loved every bit of it. She kissed back, and placed her hand on his cheek and cuddled closer to him. Shikamaru put his hand around her waist, and pulled her closer. When they pulled away, due to lack of breath, Nodoka placed her head on his neck, so that he wouldn't be able to see her blushing face. Shikamaru licked his lips, and pulled the girl closer and something made his eyes widened. 'Call me.' Temari's voice echoed in his brain, and Shikamaru stood up all of a sudden. Nodoka observed his face, and said, "W-What's wrong?" Shikamaru had this sudden guilt feeling flowing through inside him, and he turned to see Nodoka's face, with wide eyes. 'What the hell is wrong with me?' He thought and grunted. "I…just haven't been this close to a woman before." He said, smoothly. 'That wasn't a lie, right?' Shikamaru thought and Nodoka smiled. "Oh." She said.

Shikamaru Nara had thought of another girl when he was making out with his girlfriend. He obviously felt guilt. But what was the meaning of this? Did this mean that he didn't love Nodoka?

"Nodoka." Shikamaru said, and Nodoka looked up at him. The male hugged her and said, "I love you." Nodoka's eyes widened. Her heart was beating rapidly, and she didn't know what else to do. Her body didn't move, and her fingers were numb. "You l-love me?" Shikamaru nodded. Nodoka hugged him back and said, "I love you too!" She said, and cried on his chest with happiness. She repeated those words, and Shikamaru closed his eyes.

'Call me.' The voice repeated in his head, and the male grunted. After Nodoka walked home, Shikamaru went back into his room, and opened his chemistry lab notes. Behind the book was a number, scribbled in a handwriting which wasn't his own. Shikamaru frowned and tore the page from his book, and threw it out of the building. He lay on his bed, and sighed. 'I'm not going to call that woman. Nodoka's my girlfriend. Temari isn't even a friend.' He thought to himself and, 'Call me.' The voice kept repeating in his head. He tossed and turned in his bed, and he grunted.

Then suddenly, his phone began to ring. Shikamaru didn't want to move, he was tired, and pissed off. But, the phone kept ringing and he had to get up. 'By the time I reach it, it'll stop.' He thought but it didn't. Shikamaru cocked his eyebrow since it was a number he couldn't recognize. "Hello?" He said, and the other side chuckled. "I knew you wouldn't call me." Shikamaru's stomach flipped and his eyes widened. "T-Temari?"

It wasn't Temari's voice that was ringing in his head earlier. Shikamaru now knew that it was his own voice. He wanted Temari to call him. That was what his brain kept saying, and that was why he was feeling so guilty.

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**A/N: Shika, you swine. Hehehe.. Well, not as many reviews as I had hoped. But, I shall wait. Please, review my loves. :)**


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